Wikipedia

A Son for a Son

"A Son for a Son" is the second-season premiere episode of the HBO fantasy drama television series House of the Dragon. Written by Ryan Condal and directed by Alan Taylor, it first aired on June 16, 2024.

"A Son for a Son"
House of the Dragon episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 1
Directed byAlan Taylor
Written byRyan Condal
Featured musicRamin Djawadi
Cinematography byP.J. Dillon
Editing byFrances Parker
Original air dateJune 16, 2024 (2024-06-16)
Running time58 minutes
Episode chronology
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The plot directly follows the end of the first season finale, depicting the aftermath of the death of Rhaenyra's second son, Lucerys Velaryon, and his dragon, Arrax, at Storm's End. Rhaenyra finds Arrax's remains and then announces her revenge on Aemond. In response, Daemon, Rhaenyra's uncle-husband, appoints two assassins in King's Landing to kill Aemond. However, the assassins are unable to find Aemond and instead decide to kill King Aegon II's son and heir, Jaehaerys. The title refers to Daemon vowing revenge against Aemond for Lucerys' murder.

"A Son for a Son" introduced several new cast members, including Kieran Bew as Hugh Hammer, Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, and Tom Taylor as Cregan Stark. In the United States, the episode achieved a viewership of 7.8 million during its premiere night. It received highly positive reviews from critics, with praise going towards the writing, character development, set up for the upcoming war, improved pacing and lighting compared to the first season, and performances of its cast, particularly Emma D'Arcy and Olivia Cooke.

Plot

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At the Wall, Cregan Stark promises Jacaerys Targaryen 2000 troops for Rhaenyra's forces. Rhaenyra flies to Storms End and inspects the remains of Arrax, Lucerys' dragon. Rhaenys refuses Daemon's command to jointly pursue and kill Aemond and his dragon Vhagar to avenge Lucerys. Aegon II strives to be a good king while his grandfather, Otto Hightower, urges restraint in assisting commoners negatively affected by the Velaryons' Gullet blockade. Aegon brings his young son and heir Jaehaerys to the Small Council to begin his training. Larys plays upon Alicent's fears of betrayal. Returning to Dragonstone, Rhaenyra tells Daemon she wants revenge against Aemond. Mysaria the White Worm, having survived the brothel fire, arrives in Dragonstone and is arrested for treason. Daemon offers her freedom in exchange for helping recruit two assassins. Sneaking into King's Landing, Daemon bribes a rat-catcher ("Cheese") and a City Watch guard ("Blood") to kill Aemond. Unable to locate him, the two enter Helaena's quarters and behead Jaehaerys instead. Helaena, clutching Jaehaerys’ twin sister, Jaehaera, escapes to her mother Alicent's chamber, where she and Criston Cole are in bed together.

Production

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Writing

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"A Son for a Son" was written by showrunner and executive producer Ryan Condal,[1] marking his fifth writing credit for the series, following "The Heirs of the Dragon", "The Rogue Prince", "Second of His Name", and "The Black Queen".[2]

The title of the episode refers to Daemon vowing revenge against his nephew and half brother-in-law, Aemond, for his stepson, Lucerys' murder.[3]

Filming

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Alan Taylor made his return as director for the franchise.

Principal photography for the second season began in April 2023, at the Warner Bros. Studios, Leavesden in England,[4] and wrapped in September 2023.[5] Among other filming locations, the Trefor Granite Quarry in Wales served as the location for Dragonstone.[6][7]

The episode was directed by Alan Taylor who joined the show's second season as executive producer.[1][8] It marks his return to the Game of Thrones franchise and his eighth directorial credit in the franchise. He previously directed the Game of Thrones episodes "Baelor", "Fire and Blood", "The North Remembers", "The Night Lands", "The Prince of Winterfell", "Valar Morghulis", and "Beyond the Wall".[9][10]

Casting

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The episode stars Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Fabien Frankel, Matthew Needham, Sonoya Mizuno, Tom Glynn-Carney, Ewan Mitchell, Phia Saban, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Jefferson Hall, Kurt Egyiawan, Kieran Bew, Abubakar Salim, and Tom Taylor. It marks the first appearance of Bew as Hugh Hammer, Salim as Alyn of Hull, and Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark. Egyiawan portrayed recurring character Grand Maester Orwyle in the first season and was upgraded to the main cast for the second season.

Salim's casting was announced in April 2023.[11] Meanwhile, the casting of Bew and Taylor was announced in December 2023.[12]

Opening credits sequence

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The episode introduces a new opening credits sequence, while retaining the original theme song, "Game of Thrones Theme". The sequence depicts past events in the Targaryen family, with Entertainment Weekly describing it as "a Bayeux-style tapestry weaving itself together."[13] Condal explained that the original plan was for the sequence to feel similar to the original series, where geography constantly changes with each episode. However, he felt "that the bloodlines and ancestry story we were telling that season — 20 years of time in season one — had been brought to an end because now the Targaryen ancestry is sort of set. We didn't have much place to go." He decided to make a new sequence to depict that "this is a living history and we want to depict that history in a visual way and give the fans new things to take apart and dive into."[14]

Reception

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Ratings

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In the United States, "A Son for a Son" was watched by a total of 7.8 million viewers, which included linear viewers during its premiere night on June 16, 2024, both on HBO and Max. This was a 22% decrease from the first season premiere, which was watched by 10 million viewers.[15] While on HBO alone, it was watched by an estimated 1.3 million viewers during its first broadcast.[16]

Critical response

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Emma D'Arcy's performance in the episode was widely praised by critics.

The episode was met with highly positive critical reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an approval rating of 100% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[17]

Alec Bojalad of Den of Geek and Haley Whitmire White of TV Fanatic both gave it a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.[18][19] Louis Chilton of The Independent and Amanda Whiting of Vulture rated it 4 out of 5 stars,[20][21] while James Hunt of Screen Rant gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.[22] Bojalad described it as "a muscular return",[18] and Hunt praised the episode for effectively setting up the upcoming war.[22] Helen O'Hara from IGN scored it 7 out of 10, noting, "We may look back on [the episode] as effective groundwork, but it's undeniably lacking in the kind of excitement that this series can offer at its best."[23] Similarly, Katie Doll of CBR and Carly Lane of Collider also gave it a 7 out of 10.[24][1] Doll wrote, "With dynamic performances and savvy writing, House of the Dragon is off to an eventful start for Season 2, even if planting the seeds of war can be a chore at times."[24] Lane opined that the episode "feels more like a prologue for much bigger events rather than a first chapter."[1] Kayleigh Dray of The A.V. Club graded the episode a B+ and called it "a pretty stellar season premiere".[25] Erik Kain of Forbes echoed this sentiment, calling it "a brilliant season premiere".[26] Josh Rosenberg of Esquire remarked, "By now, House of the Dragon season 2 is already feeling like a massive step up for the series. The pacing is much better, the side characters are just as compelling as the leads, and it's clear we’re building up to a war."[27]

Critics praised the performances of its cast, particularly those of D'Arcy,[1][19][20][22][24][25] Cooke,[1][22][24] Saban,[22][24] Glynn-Carney,[24][27] and Collett.[24] Regarding D'Arcy, Screen Rant's Hunt wrote, "They did excellent work in season 1, of course, but take it to another level in the season 2 premiere. Rhaenyra's grief is palpable, her pain so clearly etched into every fiber of D'Arcy’s performance."[22] Collider's Lane called their performance "magical" and praised their body language in portraying a grieving mother, despite uttering only four words in the episode.[1] Hunt also highlighted Olivia Cooke's more nuanced performance,[22] while Lane noted that Cooke "continues to offer depth and dimension to Alicent, who feels torn between clashing loyalties."[1]

Specific scenes singled out by critics included Jacerys's visit to Winterfell and the introduction of Cregan Stark, though some felt the scene was too brief,[22][24][28] as well as the killing of Jaehaerys; critics appreciated the reduced violence in the scene in comparison to the book version.[18][24] However, Hunt found it underwhelming compared to the book, noting it ended the otherwise solid premiere on a somewhat disappointing note.[22] Additionally, critics lauded the character development of Alicent, Daemon, Aemond,[22] and Aegon,[24] as well as the improved lighting, which had been criticized for being too dark in the first season by both critics and fans.[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lane, Carly (June 17, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Episode 1 Recap: Make It a Son for a Son". Collider. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  2. ^ "Ryan J. Condal". Writers Guild of America West. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
  3. ^ L. Gallaga, Omar (June 17, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' recap: Ratting out the royals". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  4. ^ Kanter, Jake (April 11, 2023). "'House Of The Dragon' Season 2 Begins Filming". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  5. ^ Ruscinski, Maxwell (September 28, 2023). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Wraps Filming, Aiming for Summer 2024 Release". CBR. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  6. ^ Leston, Ryan (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon season two filming locations and where to find them". BBC. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Shah, Furvah (June 18, 2024). "House of the Dragon season 2 filming locations and how to visit". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 26, 2022). "'House Of The Dragon' Executive Producer Jocelyn Diaz Exits Ahead Of Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ Hibberd, James; Kit, Borys (August 31, 2022). "'House of the Dragon' Shake-Up: Co-Showrunner Miguel Sapochnik Leaving Hit Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  10. ^ Dominguez, Noah (September 1, 2022). "House of the Dragon Co-Showrunner Exiting, GoT Director Joining Season 2". CBR. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  11. ^ Moreau, Jordan (April 24, 2023). "'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Casts Alys Rivers and Three More Characters". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ^ Romano, Rick (December 4, 2023). "'Meet the Jon Snow ancestor and main Stark of House of the Dragon". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 17, 2024.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  13. ^ Romano, Nick (June 16, 2024). "House of the Dragon season 2 comes with new opening titles sequence". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  14. ^ Hibberd, James (June 16, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Creator Breaks Down Season 2's Stunning New Opening Credits". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  15. ^ Hailu, Selome (June 18, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Premiere Hits 7.8 Million Viewers, Down 22% From Series Launch but Bringing Max Its Biggest Streaming Day Ever". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Asiaten, Alvin (June 17, 2024). "TV Ratings for Sunday 16th June 2024". Spoiler TV. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  17. ^ "House of the Dragon: Season 2, Episode 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  18. ^ a b c Bojalad, Alec (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review: A Son for a Son". Den of Geek. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  19. ^ a b White, Haley Whitmire (June 16, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 1 Review: A Son for a Son". TV Fanatic. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Chilton, Louis (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon episode one recap: Season two premiere is full of scheming, staring and provocation". The Independent. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  21. ^ Whiting, Amanda (June 16, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season-Premiere Recap: Rat Race". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hunt, James (June 17, 2024). "House Of The Dragon Season 2, Episode 1 Review: A Mostly Strong Return For Game Of Thrones' Prequel". Screen Rant. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  23. ^ a b O'Hara, Helen (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere Review – 'A Son for a Son'". IGN. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Doll, Katie (June 17, 2024). "House of the Dragon Season 2 Premiere Review: HotD Gets Its Own Red Wedding". CBR. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Dray, Kayleigh (June 17, 2024). "House Of The Dragon season 2 premiere: We're back in Westeros, baby". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  26. ^ Kain, Erik. "'House Of The Dragon' Season 2, Episode 1 Recap And Review: Blood And Cheese". Forbes. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Rosenberg, Josh (June 17, 2024). "I Need a Full Week to Recover from the 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 Premiere". Esquire. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  28. ^ Weldon, Glen (June 16, 2024). "'House of the Dragon' season premiere: I told you the rats would be a whole thing". NPR. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
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